Premier Paolo Gentiloni told reporters Thursday night after meeting Libyan Premier Fayez Serraj in Rome that the two sides signed a memo of understanding to step up cooperation and, with Italian assistance, help fight the migrant trafficking. Greek authorities say eight officers from Europe's Frontex border agency have started patrols on Greece's northern border with Macedonia to deter illegal crossings by migrants. More than 62,000 refugees and other migrants have been stuck in Greece since a series of Balkan border closures last year and a deal between the European Union and Turkey to limit migrant flows. A decade-old program to resettle a fixed quota of refugees arriving in the small, southern EU nation of Malta to the United States is another casualty of President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration. EU President Donald Tusk said Thursday after talks with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni that "I can assure you that it is within our reach" to cut off the smuggling routes, as expectations are rising that drownings will increase as the spring weather comes.
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